Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: ‘Triumph’ persimmon production in South Africa is export driven and the profitability of the industry is largely dependent on consumer demand and supermarket shelf space in the European market. In order to realise high returns, it is important to advance harvest maturity to attain early fruit that arrives on the market prior to European summer fruits. In addition, market feedback suggests that fruit picked during the second half of the harvesting period stores poorly and rapidly softens during shelf life. It is important to establish whether this is the case. The effect of paclobutrazol (PBZ) application rate on fruit maturity and keeping quality, return bloom and vegetative growth was investigated over two seasons. Advanced harvest maturity was attained at a compromise of reduced fruit storage quality and stunted growth with the severity of the compromise increasing with increasing PBZ application rate. To advance harvest maturity while maintaining acceptable keeping quality, PBZ application at 0.75 ml per plant is recommended although effects on harvest maturity will not persist into the subsequent season as found at higher application rates. Prohexadione-calcium (P-Ca) as an alternative for PBZ in advancing harvest maturity was evaluated over two seasons. A positive response to three foliar applications of P-Ca at 200 mg·L-1 was noticed in the first season. In the second season, a single application of P-Ca at 300 mg·L-1 two weeks before harvest significantly advanced harvest maturity. Due to the rapid metabolism of P-Ca in the plant, it is unlikely that growth in the subsequent season will be affected. Based on these results, the persimmon industry will undertake commercial trials in the 2012 season to further assess the efficacy of P-Ca application in advancing harvest maturity. The effect of various rest breaking agents (RBAs) on bud break, flowering, fruit maturity and quality as well as vegetative growth was assessed for one season. RBAs did not increase or advance bud break and flowering. Consequently, yield and harvest maturity were unaffected by the treatments. The ineffectiveness of the RBAs could be due to the low application rates used or the fulfilment of the chilling requirement prior to treatment application. An experiment was carried out to determine whether storability and shelf-life differ between “early” and “late” production areas in South Africa as well as between orchards within these areas. The data indicated that fruit colour is a good maturity parameter and indicator of fruit storability. However, “late” fruit were about 1 kg softer than “early” fruit at the same colour chart value. We therefore recommend that fruit from late regions are harvested at colour chart values of 5 and 6 (yellow-green) instead of 3 and 4. Fruit from “late” orchards as well as GA3-treated fruit with a colour chart value of 3 and less should be culled due to the high propensity (>20%) of these fruit to become soft during storage and shelf life. A delay in 1-MCP treatment and interruption of the cold chain considerably increased fruit softening during storage and shelf-life. Further research is required to verify this result. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ‘Triumph’ persimmon produksie in Suid-Afrika is uitvoergedrewe en die winsgewendheid van die bedryf is grootliks afhanklik van verbruikervraag en supermark spasie in die Europese mark. Ten einde hoë pryse te realiseer, is dit belangrik om ʼn vroeë oes te verkry sodat vrugte voor die Europese somervrugte op die mark beland. Mark terugvoer dui verder daarop dat vrugte wat tydens die tweede helfte van die oesperiode gepluk word, swakker opberg en vinnig sag word gedurende op die rak. Dit is belangrik om vas te stel of hierdie waarneming juis is. Die effek van paklobutrazol (PBZ) toedieningshoeveelheid op vrugrypwording en - houvermoë, opvolgblom en vegetatiewe groei is oor twee seisoene ondersoek. Oesrypheid is vervroeg, maar tot nadeel van vrughouvermoë en vegetatiewe groei. Die omvang van die negatiewe effekte van PBZ het toegeneem met ʼn toename in toedieningshoeveelheid. Ten einde oesrypheid te vervroeg terwyl aanvaarbare houvermoë behou word, word toediening van PBZ teen 0.75 ml per plant aanbeveel alhoewel die effek op oesrypheid anders as die geval met hoër toedieningshoeveelhede nie in die opeenvolgende seisoen sal voortduur nie. Proheksadioon-kalsium (P-Ca) as alternatief tot PBZ om oesrypheid te vervroeg is oor twee seisoene gee-valueer. ʼn Positiewe effek op vrugrypwording is in die eerste seisoen verkry met drie blaartoedienings van P-Ca teen 200 mg·L-1. In die tweede seisoen is oesrypheid betekenisvol vervroeg deur ʼn enkel toediening van 300 mg·L-1 P-Ca ʼn maand voor oes. Vanweë hierdie resultate gaan die persimmonbedryf in die 2012 seisoen kommersiële proewe onderneem om die effektiwiteit van P-Ca om oes te vervroeg, verder te ondersoek. Die effek van verskeie rusbrekende middels (RBAs) op bot, blom, vrugrypheid, vrugkwaliteit en vegetatiewe groei is vir een seisoen ondersoek. RBAs het bot en blom vervroeg of vermeerder nie en het daarom ook geen effek op produksie en oesrypheid gehad nie. Die oneffektiwiteit van die RBAs kan moontlik toegeskryf word aan die lae toedieningsvlakke wat gebruik is of aan die kouebehoefte wat bevredig is voor toediening van RBAs. ʼn Eksperiment is gedoen om vas te stel of die opberging- en houvermoë van vrugte verskil tussen “vroeë” en “laat” produksieareas in Suid-Afrika en ook tussen boorde in hierdie areas. Die data dui daarop dat vrugkleur ʼn goeie rypheidsparameter en indikator van opbergingsvermoë is. Vrugte van laat areas was egter omtrent 1 kg sagter as vrugte van vroeë areas van dieselfde kleur. Ons beveel gevolglik aan dat vrugte van laat areas by ʼn kleurkaartwaarde van 5 tot 6 (geelgroen) geoes word eerder as by 3 tot 4. Vrugte van laat boorde sowel as vrugte wat met GA3 behandel is met ʼn kleurkaartwaarde van 3 en laer moet afgradeer word weens die hoë geneigdheid (>20%) van hierdie vrugte om sag te word tydens opberging en op die rak. Uitstel van 1-MCP behandeling en die onderbreking van die koueketting veroorsaak ʼn aansienlike toename in sagte vrugte tydens opberging en op die rak. Verdere navorsing word benodig om hierdie resultaat te verifieer.

Insect damage in stored maize is one of the major post-harvest losses occurring in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. To reduce economic losses, separation of infested grains from clean ones is critical and requires detection of infestation in stored grains. This study aimed at developing a rapid non-destructive detection system with three goals; - the first goal was to investigate the acoustic behavior of internally feeding S. zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in maize. The pests were monitored for peak activity and signal amplitudes. The study was performed in the morning, afternoon and night times for three consecutive days with an ultrasonic probe attached to acoustic emission detector. The average number of peaks above threshold in the morning, afternoon and night was significantly different and were 60, 2 and 31 counts/s, respectively (P-value < 0.01). The average maximum amplitude was also different: 2.5, 1 and 1.8V for morning, afternoon and night sessions, respectively. The signal frequencies ranged between 1 and 15 kHz with a peak around 7 kHz. The second goal was to design and develop an inexpensive acoustic device for the detection of S. zeamais in the stored maize. This device included a microphone, signal conditioning circuit and a microcontroller. The third goal was to test the prototype in both clean and infested maize. The device could be manufactured for $55 or less. The device has a noise level below 0.2V in clean maize, infestation amplitude up to 1V and about 93.3% correct detection performance in infected maize. / Master of Science

A redução das perdas é de grande importância para estabilizar a oferta de alimentos ao longo da cadeia de suprimentos e fortalecer a segurança alimentar. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa foi realizar um diagnóstico detalhado sobre as perdas que ocorrem nas diversas atividades logísticas de soja e milho no Brasil, envolvendo a quantificação das perdas físicas, econômicas e ambientais acumuladas na cadeia de suprimentos de tais grãos e a identificação de estratégias e políticas públicas para mitiga-las, através da modelagem de programação matemática. Além disso, foi possível estruturar uma função de perdas na agrologística de grãos a partir de quatro variáveis: tipo de armazenagem, qualidade das vias rodoviárias, modalidade de transporte e canal de comercialização. As perdas totais na cadeia de suprimentos de soja e milho no ano de 2015 no Brasil atingiram o patamar de 2,381 milhões de toneladas, ou seja, algo em torno de 1,303% da produção, incorrendo em perdas econômicas decorrentes do custo de oportunidade com vendas perdidas e de gastos logísticos desnecessários na ordem de R$ 2,04 bilhões (US$ 610,78 milhões). Os cenários avaliados demonstram que a ampliação no uso da armazenagem dentro da fazenda, melhoria nas condições das rodovias brasileiras e das estradas que conectam as fazendas aos armazéns apresentam grande potencial para mitigação das perdas. Apesar da perda relativa de uma atividade logística assumir valor decimal, a perda acumulada ao longo da cadeia de suprimentos assume um valor global bastante considerável. Esse retrato enfatiza a necessidade de conscientização sobre as perdas visando fomentar políticas públicas e gestões eficientes para mitiga-las, dado as externalidades econômicas, ambientais e sociais geradas. / Reducing losses is of great importance in stabilizing the supply of food throughout the supply chain and strengthening food security. The general objective of this research was to perform a detailed diagnosis of the losses that occur in the many logistic activities of soybeans and maize in Brazil, involving the quantification of accumulated physical, economic and environmental losses in the supply chain of such grains and the identification of strategies and public policies to mitigate such losses through mathematical programming modeling. Besides, it was possible to structure a loss function of grains\' agrologistics in terms of four variables: type of storage, quality of roads, modality of transportation and marketing channel. Total losses in the soy and maize supply chain in 2015 in Brazil reached up to 2.381 million tons, or about 1.303% of production, incurring economic reductions due to the cost of loss (reduced sales and unnecessary logistical expenses for the handling of losses) in the order of R$ 2.04 billion (US$ 610.78 million). The evaluated scenarios show that the increase in the use of on-farm storage, the improvement in the conditions of the Brazilian highways and roads that connect the farms to the external warehouses present great potential to mitigate the losses. In spite the relative loss of a logistic activity takes on decimal value, the cumulative loss along the supply chain assumes a fairly considerable overall value. This reality emphasizes the need to raise awareness about losses in order to foster public policies and efficient management to mitigate them, given the created economic, environmental and social externalities.

Forced convective drying using a wind turbine mechanically connected to a ventilation fan was hypothesized for low cost and rapid grain drying in developing countries. The idea was tested using an expandable wind turbine blade system with variable pitch, at low wind speeds in a wind tunnel. The design was based on empirical and theoretical models embedded in a graphical user interface (GUI) created to estimate airflow-power requirements for drying ear corn. Output airflow (0.0016 - 0.0052 m3kg-1s-1) increased within the study wind speed range (2.0 - 5.5 m/s). System efficiency peak (8.6%) was observed at 3.5 m/s wind speed. Flow resistance was overcome up to 1m fill depth in 0.5 m x 0.5 m wide drying bin. Drying study at different airflow rates (no forced convection, 0.002 m3kg-1s-1 and 0.008 m3kg-1s-1) were conducted in a controlled environment at 35oC and 45% relative humidity with mean drying time; 40.3, 37.9 and 22.9 h respectively, that reduced with increasing airflow while drying the ear corn from 22% to 15% moisture content. The overall result supports the hypothesis that the wind convection system increased grain drying rates and should be further developed.

A redução das perdas é de grande importância para estabilizar a oferta de alimentos ao longo da cadeia de suprimentos e fortalecer a segurança alimentar. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa foi realizar um diagnóstico detalhado sobre as perdas que ocorrem nas diversas atividades logísticas de soja e milho no Brasil, envolvendo a quantificação das perdas físicas, econômicas e ambientais acumuladas na cadeia de suprimentos de tais grãos e a identificação de estratégias e políticas públicas para mitiga-las, através da modelagem de programação matemática. Além disso, foi possível estruturar uma função de perdas na agrologística de grãos a partir de quatro variáveis: tipo de armazenagem, qualidade das vias rodoviárias, modalidade de transporte e canal de comercialização. As perdas totais na cadeia de suprimentos de soja e milho no ano de 2015 no Brasil atingiram o patamar de 2,381 milhões de toneladas, ou seja, algo em torno de 1,303% da produção, incorrendo em perdas econômicas decorrentes do custo de oportunidade com vendas perdidas e de gastos logísticos desnecessários na ordem de R$ 2,04 bilhões (US$ 610,78 milhões). Os cenários avaliados demonstram que a ampliação no uso da armazenagem dentro da fazenda, melhoria nas condições das rodovias brasileiras e das estradas que conectam as fazendas aos armazéns apresentam grande potencial para mitigação das perdas. Apesar da perda relativa de uma atividade logística assumir valor decimal, a perda acumulada ao longo da cadeia de suprimentos assume um valor global bastante considerável. Esse retrato enfatiza a necessidade de conscientização sobre as perdas visando fomentar políticas públicas e gestões eficientes para mitiga-las, dado as externalidades econômicas, ambientais e sociais geradas. / Reducing losses is of great importance in stabilizing the supply of food throughout the supply chain and strengthening food security. The general objective of this research was to perform a detailed diagnosis of the losses that occur in the many logistic activities of soybeans and maize in Brazil, involving the quantification of accumulated physical, economic and environmental losses in the supply chain of such grains and the identification of strategies and public policies to mitigate such losses through mathematical programming modeling. Besides, it was possible to structure a loss function of grains\' agrologistics in terms of four variables: type of storage, quality of roads, modality of transportation and marketing channel. Total losses in the soy and maize supply chain in 2015 in Brazil reached up to 2.381 million tons, or about 1.303% of production, incurring economic reductions due to the cost of loss (reduced sales and unnecessary logistical expenses for the handling of losses) in the order of R$ 2.04 billion (US$ 610.78 million). The evaluated scenarios show that the increase in the use of on-farm storage, the improvement in the conditions of the Brazilian highways and roads that connect the farms to the external warehouses present great potential to mitigate the losses. In spite the relative loss of a logistic activity takes on decimal value, the cumulative loss along the supply chain assumes a fairly considerable overall value. This reality emphasizes the need to raise awareness about losses in order to foster public policies and efficient management to mitigate them, given the created economic, environmental and social externalities.